Five Israelis who arrived in Moscow on an Aeroflot flight from Tel Aviv on Wednesday were detained at the Sheremetyevo Airport for five hours and then sent back on a flight to Israel.

According to a Kikar Ha’Shabbos report, two of the Israelis detained at the airport were two Lubavitcher chassidim, the musician Yossi Zoldan and the singer Eli Chafetz, who were traveling to Russia to perform at a gathering in Moscow to mark Yud Shevat, the yahrtzeit of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe and the beginning of the leadership of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt’l.

Zoldan told Kikar HaShabbos that his flight landed around noon in Moscow and as soon as he arrived at passport control he was instructed to wait on the side together with four other Israelis.

The Israelis were then taken for questioning, fingerprinting, and were required to provide samples for DNA testing. The Russian officials then moved them to a locked room without food or drink or access to a bathroom.

Zoldan added that despite the efforts of the Israeli consul to release them, the Russians decided to send them back to Israel on the next flight.

“Of course I immediately arranged for a local musician to play instead of me at the event tonight for Yud Shevat in Moscow, which will be attended by the Chief Rabbi of Russia, Harav Berel Lazar,” Zoldan said.

“As a Jewish “ma’amin” and especially as a Chabad chassid, I believe with complete faith that everything is from Hakadosh Baruch Hu. This won’t only not prevent us from continuing our work but we’ll continue to make Jews happy in Israel and around the world.”

The Russian authorities claimed that the five Israelis were being sent back to Israel because they traveled to Russia for business purposes but they did not have the appropriate visas.

This past Friday, ten Israelis who landed in Moscow were denied entry to Russia and sent back to Israel.

The incident happened a day after the release of Naama Issachar from jail on Thursday after being pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to news reports, one of the conditions that Russia requested for Issachar’s release was decreased restrictions on Russian tourists visiting Israel.

Last month, Israelis were detained several times upon landing in Moscow and questioned. The Russian embassy seemed to justify the detainment of Israelis at the time by stating that: “Until December 1, 5,771 Russian tourists were denied entry into Israel. In October alone of this year, 568 Russian tourists were denied entry into Israel and 569 tourists in November. Every day, about 20 tourists who arrive in Israel with money and an organized tour are stopped and sent back to Russia.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)